The Relation of Science and Religion.pdf - Online Christian Library

258 SCIENCE AND RELIGION.dotvnwards, the mass of the nerve fibres thuscommuiiicatiilg with the organism; (3) Thesepyramidal cells are not peculiar to any partof the brain, and they do not belong to thebrain alone, but are found in the gray matterof the spinal cord, and also of the sympatheticsystem, which provides for the actionof the heart, lungs, and other vital organs.All these characteristics are adverse to theconjecture that for the larger sized cells aclaim can be made assigning to them distinctivelyintellectual or mental functions.In contrast with this view, I shall here introducean extract from Hsckel's fiolutionof Man, as he rnay be accounted the mostadvanced advocate of the theory of "mindcells.''He says,-" The nerve cell of thebrain is an extremely one-sided formation.It can not, like the egg-cell, develop fromitself numerous generations of cells, of whichsome transform themselves into skin-cells,some into flesh-cells, and others into bonecells,etc. But instead, the nerve-cell, whichis formed for the highest activities of life,possesses the capacity to feel, to will, tothink. It is a true mind-cell, an elementary